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Description:Prefabricated bridge elements and systems (PBES) present many potential benefits to bridge owners and users; however, these systems must be both robust and constructible. Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is an emerging construction material that is garnering significant interest in the bridge community. UHPC has proven to be capable of both facilitating innovation in precast concrete bridge components as well as enabling advancements of PBES component field-cast connections. Twenty roadway bridges with UHPC components are open to traffic today in the U.S., and many more are on the way.
UHPC is a fiber-reinforced cementitious composite material with mechanical and durability properties that far exceed those associated with traditional structural concrete. High compressive strength, sustained tensile strength, shortened rebar development length, and reduced permeability all work together to afford simple, robust solutions on PBES construction projects. Development of a precast deck panel solution that is lighter and is expected to be more durable than conventional solutions has been deployed in Iowa. A design guide will be published in mid-June to help deploy this technology on a variety of new and existing bridges. Use of UHPC in field-cast connections has matured to the point that New York State DOT expects to complete as many as a dozen projects in 2013.
This session will include an overview of UHPC and its use in precast bridge deck panels and connections, a discussion of successful deployments to date, and an open discussion among all panel members and session participants.
Moderator:
Ben Graybeal, Structural Concrete Research Program Manager, Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center, Federal Highway Administration
Presenters:
Sri Sritharan, Wilson Engineering Professor, Iowa State University
Dean Bierwagen, Final Design Section Leader, Iowa DOT
Matthew Royce, Associate Civil Engineer, Office of Structures, NYS DOT